I hope that you read both Chuck Sweeny’s and the editorial board’s writing about the Troy, Illinois 12-year-old girl, Chloe Sterling’s, sad experience baking cupcakes in her mother’s kitchen and then selling them as an enterprise to raise money for her future education, among other endeavors.

The baking and selling was not a sad experience. No, the sad experience was the local health authorities deciding that she was risking the health of anyone that purchased her cupcakes. Why? Because the kitchen in which she baked the cupcakes was not inspected and approved by the health department. As a follow up, state Sen. Donne E. Trotter, wished to have a state law requiring food safety courses, permits, etc. How ridiculous can people be? Any elected official with such a lack of “common sense,” in my opinion, should never have been elected to any office.

What about Chloe and her family? Is their health in danger from eating food prepared in that kitchen, or do they have outstanding health stamina so that they have been able to survive? The thought sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

And what about the bazaars, church suppers and other public meals to raise money? Today they have some ridiculous and extreme rules. Just think of all the poor people, in the past, that have gotten sick and died from eating at those public meals. I don’t know of anyone that ever got sick. Do you?

If you know of someone that went home sick from one of those meals, they probably were sick when they went there. This also applies to fairs and other activities where food has been served in the past.

Health departments and state legislatures have not suddenly come to our rescue. We were never in danger needing to be saved.

I have heard it said in both Boone and Winnebago counties that maybe we should be checking lemonade stands. I don’t think so! Maybe, instead, we should develop a test for the judgment of some people in a position of authority.

We like to see people that are ambitious and enterprising. Starting as a child, like Chloe, is a pretty good indication that she will also be that way as an adult.

Why not encourage it, rather than discourage it? We’ll never have too many people that fit this description. After all, that’s one of the many things that made America great.